In solid-dose production, a cartoning machine is the bridge between primary packaging and finished shipping units. It takes blisters, bottles, sachets or small kits, combines them with leaflets, and turns them into retail or hospital-ready cartons for case packing and palletizing.
For pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies, the choice of this equipment directly affects GMP compliance, serialization and traceability, on-time delivery and the overall OEE of the packaging hall. This guide explains what the equipment does in pharma packaging, the main types available, how it works, and—most importantly—how to select the right solution for your packaging lines.
A cartoning machine forms flat carton blanks into open cartons, loads pharmaceutical products and leaflets, closes and seals the cartons, and discharges finished packs. It normally sits between primary packaging and end-of-line equipment.
In a regulated environment, the carton packing machine must do much more than “put something in a box”:
● Carton forming and transport
● Accurate loading of blisters, bottles, sachets or kits
● Leaflet / IFU folding and insertion
● Carton closing (tuck-in or glue) and tamper-evident features
● Coding and serialization (batch, expiry, 1D/2D codes)
● Presence / completeness inspection and automatic rejection
Key modules usually include:
● Carton magazine and forming unit
● Product infeed system
● Leaflet folding and feeding section
● Carton transport system (pockets / lugs / chains)
● Closing and sealing unit
● Coding, inspection and rejection devices
● PLC, HMI and safety guarding
Introduction Video of Carton Packaging Machine
Semi-automatic units
● Forming and closing are automated, while operators manually feed products or blanks.
● Suited to clinical batches, low volumes and very frequent format changes.
Fully automatic units
● Forming, loading, leaflet insertion and closing are all automated.
● Suited to commercial production, high-volume nutraceuticals and large CMOs.
A practical example of a fully automatic solution is the RQ-ZH-130W horizontal model from Rich Packing. It integrates mechanical, electrical and optical systems to automate carton forming, product loading, leaflet detection, code printing and closing in one continuous cycle.
Horizontal cartoner
● Products are pushed into cartons from the side.
● Standard choice in pharma for blisters, bottles, tubes and combination packs.
Vertical cartoner
● Products are dropped or placed from the top into open cartons.
● More common in food and personal care; used in pharma for specific bottle or jar formats.
Intermittent motion
● Cartons index and stop briefly at each station.
● Simpler design, easier format changes; ideal for medium speeds and many SKUs.
Continuous motion
● Cartons move continuously while operations are synchronized to the moving flow.
● Designed for very high speeds and large, stable volumes.
Although mechanical designs differ, the basic sequence is similar:
1. Carton feeding and forming
2. Carton transport in pockets or lugs
3. Leaflet folding and insertion
4. Product loading
5. Carton closing and sealing
6. Coding and serialization
7. Inspection
8. Rejection and discharge
For a blister cartoning machine line:
● Blisters exit the blister machine and are aligned on a conveyor.
● The infeed system groups the required number of blisters.
● Carton blanks are opened, and leaflets are folded and positioned.
● A pusher or robot loads the blister group and leaflet into the open carton.
● Flaps are closed and tucked or glued; codes are printed and verified.
● Faulty packs (missing blister/leaflet, bad code, damage) are rejected.
Different shapes need different infeed designs:
● Pushers and bucket conveyors for blisters, bottles and tubes
● Pick-and-place robots for fragile or irregular products
● Top-load systems in vertical designs
Leaflets may be pre-folded or folded online; the folding and feeding unit must prevent double feeding, jams and missing-leaflet cases.
A PLC and servo system coordinate motion, recipes and alarms. Printers and cameras handle batch/expiry and serialization. The unit exchanges data with MES or serialization servers and synchronizes reject mechanisms with inspection results so that only fully compliant packs leave the carton packaging machine.
cartoner machine application
Use these criteria as a checklist when you evaluate any cartoning machine for pharmaceutical packaging lines.
Start from a clear matrix of products and packs:
● Product forms – blisters, bottles, sachets, vials, syringes, combination kits
● Pack styles – single blister, multi-blister, bottle + device, starter kits
● Carton design – straight tuck, reverse tuck, glue-sealed, crash-lock, windowed or display cartons
Key questions:
● Can the equipment reliably cover your carton dimensions and board grades?
● Is the product infeed system suitable for your blister layout, bottle shape or kit configuration?
● How easily can you add a new carton size or extra component later?
Speed must always be evaluated together with OEE and changeover:
Nameplate speed vs effective speed
● Ask for real production data, not only maximum cartons per minute.
● Check how often micro-stops occur and how fast the system recovers.
Matching upstream and downstream
● Align the unit’s speed with blister, bottle or sachet lines.
● Provide buffer so short stops do not trigger cascaded shutdowns.
Growth and lifecycle planning
● Define a speed range that supports current volume and growth over 5–10 years.
● Avoid overspecifying speed if SKUs are many and batches are small; changeover losses may offset high nominal speed.
For multi-SKU pharma and nutraceutical environments, flexibility is often more valuable than raw speed. Focus on:
Number of formats
● How many carton sizes, blister layouts, bottle sizes and leaflet formats must be supported?
Changeover workflow
● Which parts must be exchanged?
● Are change parts light and clearly identified?
● Are adjustments tool-less or do they require tools and realignment?
Repeatability and guidance
● Are positions marked with scales and reference points?
● Can the unit store format parameters as recipes with servo positions?
Typical times
● Ask for changeover video and documented times for a “full” and a “minor” format change.
● Compare yearly downtime from changeovers across candidate systems.
GMP and cleanability are non-negotiable:
Materials and surfaces
● Stainless steel and coated aluminium in product areas, smooth surfaces and rounded corners
● Minimal dust traps and no unnecessary porous materials
Access and cleaning
● How fast can guards be opened and belts, guides and pockets be cleaned?
● Are there cavities that are difficult to inspect or wipe?
Line clearance
● Is it easy to confirm all pockets are empty between batches?
● Are there clear procedures and design features that prevent cross-contamination and mix-ups?
A cartoner machine that looks perfect on paper may still struggle in the real line if integration is not planned well:
● Layout – line direction, available length, height differences and operator access
● Mechanical interfaces – transfer points, accumulation conveyors and product handover
● Control interfaces – upstream/downstream interlocks, start/stop logic, emergency stops and alarm sharing
Safety and ease of use strongly influence long-term performance:
● Full guarding with interlocked doors and clear safety labels
● Intuitive HMI with plain-language alarms and diagnostic pages
● Comfortable access to carton and leaflet magazines, change parts and inspection windows
● Good visibility of product and carton flow
Well-designed equipment is easier to train on and less prone to operator-related downtime.
When comparing proposals, look well beyond purchase price:
● Annual spare parts and consumables
● Planned maintenance intervals and expected downtime
● Change parts pricing and delivery times
● Impact of speed, OEE and changeover on yearly output and cost per carton
Supplier-related questions:
● How many pharma installations do they have?
● Can they provide IQ/OQ documentation and support PQ?
● What remote support, local service partners and parts hubs are available in your region?
Often, a slightly higher initial investment with strong support and better OEE gives the lowest total cost of ownership over the life of the line – which is why many plants prefer to partner with specialist suppliers such as Rich Packing, able to deliver robust cartoners, complete GMP files and long-term service support.
cartoner machine applicationCommon layouts that include this type of equipment:
● Blister → cartoner → checkweigher / serialization → case packer → palletizer
● Bottle filling → labelling → cartoner → case packing
● Sachet / stick pack → cartoner → shrink wrapping → case packing
Clarify integration points early:
● Conveyor heights, speeds and product handover
● Required accumulation before and after the unit
● Interlock signals for start/stop and fault conditions
● Data shared with line control, SCADA or MES
● Need: very high output, stable quality, robust carton handling
● Choice: fully automatic horizontal continuous-motion model
● Focus: high OEE, strong serialization integration, smooth operation during seasonal peaks
● Need: frequent product and format changes, many small batches
● Choice: horizontal intermittent model with very fast, tool-less changeover
● Focus: flexibility, compact footprint, easy line clearance and cleaning
● Need: mid-speed production, attractive retail cartons, room to grow, and the ability to handle different product types on one line
● Choice: medium-speed fully automatic horizontal platform that can run blisters, bottles and larger pouches on the same base machine
● Focus: balanced investment, carton appearance, future upgrade options (serialization, extra inspection)
● Chasing maximum speed instead of stable OEE and realistic changeover performance
● Underestimating leaflet handling, which often becomes the main cause of downtime and rejects
● Ignoring future formats and product changes, leading to expensive retrofits later
● Looking only at purchase price, not at total cost of ownership and long-term support
● Neglecting serialization and regulatory trends when specifying the equipment
● Not involving engineering, production, QA and validation when writing the User Requirements Specification (URS)
Q1. What is a cartoning machine in pharmaceutical packaging?
It is a system that forms cartons, loads pharmaceutical products and leaflets, closes and seals the packs, and delivers finished units for case packing and shipping.
Q2. When should I choose a horizontal instead of a vertical cartoner?
In pharma, horizontal designs are the standard for blisters, bottles and combination packs. Vertical units are mainly used for free-flowing items or specific bottle/jar formats.
Q3. What speed range is typical for this type of equipment in pharma?
From around 60–80 cartons per minute on flexible, high-mix lines up to 300–400+ cartons per minute on large OTC products. The right choice depends on your upstream equipment and changeover needs.
Q4. How do these machines support serialization and track-and-trace?
They integrate printers and cameras to apply and verify serialization codes, connect to higher-level software, and automatically reject packs with missing or unreadable codes.
Q5. Can one cartoner handle multiple carton sizes and products?
Yes, within defined limits. The key is how many formats you need, how complex they are, and how long changeovers take between them.
Q6. What documents are usually required to qualify new packaging equipment under GMP?
Typical documents include User Requirements Specification (URS), DQ, IQ/OQ protocols and reports, FAT/SAT documentation, maintenance procedures, and, when relevant, computer system validation documents for the control and serialization systems.
Selecting a cartoning machine for pharma packaging lines is a long-term decision, not just a comparison of speed and price. The real objective is stable OEE, smooth GMP and serialization compliance, and a line that can grow with your product portfolio.
If you start from your products and carton designs, define realistic speed and volume needs, and then evaluate format flexibility, changeover time, GMP design, cleanability, serialization readiness, line integration and supplier support as a whole, the right choice becomes much clearer. Used as a checklist, the points in this guide help you avoid machines that look good on paper but are painful in production, and focus instead on flexible, GMP-ready solutions that quietly support your business instead of becoming the bottleneck of your packaging hall.
بريد إلكتروني : manager@richpacking.cn
Building D, No. 226, Beishan Qiaotou Street, Haizhu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China
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